Why do we tell ourselves things that aren’t true? This is the interesting part. It’s because we want to keep ourselves safe.
Remember my lies?
*I can’t manage to keep a diary for two days running; how could I ever hope to be a writer?
*I’m so shy, who would ever listen to me?
*I don’t think like everyone else does; what’s the point in saying anything at all?
You can’t fail at being a novelist if you never write a book. You don’t get embarrassed if you never say anything. And people don’t give you the stink eye if you don’t blurt out something weird. None of those things are heroic by definition, but we’ve already established that being heroic takes practice. It takes discipline. It involves taking risks. It requires standing up and speaking out. Those are all things I allowed myself to do once I stopped believing the lies I was telling myself. Once I allowed myself to take those risks.
Lies can keep you safe, but they don’t let you take the risks you need to change and grow. And they don’t allow for heroics.
So what about you? What kinds of lies are you telling yourself about who you are and what you’re capable of?